Memory
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Christine Gracey born May 13, 1917 died May 13, 1936. Loving daughter of our Master, such a shame heaven can't come faster. Here foever from a curse unless she can stop it first. R&R!
1. Prologue

Christine is mine, but everything else belongs to Disney, especially the Ghost Gallery.

I guess you could say that it all started with my grandmother. She was always a tad bit crazy. She wanted freedom, to not be restrained. But for her freedom, she did a terrible thing. She killed my grandfather. Split his head in half one night while my father was away at school.

My father didn't know his father well, and I suppose that's why he acted the way that he did. After grandmother's trial, (at which she was proclaimed innocent on grounds of being a widow,) she moved away to Europe, and no one ever saw her again. Not alive, anyway.

Now, it was time for my father to inherit the family estate. He did so, and had a plan about how he would spend his fortune. He roamed the country for months, looking for a spiritual medium to help him contact my grandfather. One night, he took a break from his travels, and visited the circus. The tightrope act particularly interested him, since the woman performing it was quite beautiful. Her name was Miss Lillian O'Malley. She had been born in Atlanta of rich parents. At age 15, she had fallen in love with a circus performer named Alex. They were together one night, but the next night he left her without a word. She pined for a little while, and then followed the circus to Alabama, where to her misfortune, she discovered that Alex had been killed by a lion. It was at that point that the young Miss Lillian made her decision to stay on with the circus, doing the tightrope act so that she could be close to the boy she had once loved.

However, once my father got his mind set on something, it was hard to make him let it go. After months of wooing, my mother consented to his proposal of marriage.

They were married on a happy summer afternoon, and at their wedding, they could do nothing but express their love for each other.

But their happiness wouldn't last long. Married or not, my father was still searching for a medium to help him contact his father.

For one of their first trips as a married couple, my parents went to Mardi gras. There, in Louisiana, my father found her. The perfect spiritual medium. Her name was Madame Leota, but I don't believe that she was anymore a madam then I am the Queen of England.

Anyway, my father invited her to move in with him and my mother. Leota was in love with my father, and was not shy about expressing her feelings. She would coddle him, but say nasty things to my poor mama behind his back. Whenever Mama would try and tell him what Leota was doing, he would merely shrug it off and tell her to spend some more time with her roses and not be so histrionic.

But he and Lillian did have a child together of course. A girl born on May 13, 1917.

My name is Christine Lillian O'Malley Gracey, and this is my story.


	2. The First Shock

Tonight was not different from any other night. I still stood on the steps with the wind blowing through my hair, thinking about the many things I missed out on in my short nineteen years of life.

Even though I grew up a young lady of privilege, it would be hard to say where the privilege was. I was born to a flighty, distracted father, and a melancholy, gullible mother. My first three years were all right. Leota hadn't come yet, and my parents were still happily in love. But that didn't last long. I can never remember being fond of the gypsy woman my father hired to help him contact my grandfather. Even at three I knew bad from good, but my father never listened. He was determined in his business and didn't want to waste his time listening to a two-year-old. And it was I who knew first what was wrong with my mother. One night, out of anger after being rejected by my father again, I expressed my feelings about Leota to my mother, and was amazed to hear that she shared a similar opinion. But what I didn't see was that Leota had been standing by the door and heard every word of our conversation.

When spring came, it was time for socializing. On my birthday, one I'll never forget, I was dressed in a new white dress, hair in ebony ringlets and blue eyes glowing. I was happy because Daddy was acting proud of me for one of the first times ever. He held me in his lap the whole time, and wouldn't let anyone else touch me.

Soon, it was time for the entertainment. To my surprise, Mother was standing on a tightrope, preparing to delight us all by performing her old act. But, then something happened that changed my life forever. When she was only halfway across, the rope unraveled, and she fell into the jaws of a waiting alligator. Well, actually, it didn't eat her right away. She managed to resurface long enough for me to see the look of stark terror on her face before the beast pulled her down again. It didn't take me long to figure out that my mommy wasn't coming back.

Later that night, Daddy called me into he and my mother's old bedroom. When I went in, Leota was standing by my mother's bed, and Daddy was holding her hand. I didn't understand at first. Then, he stepped away and I saw the bassinet behind him. He took the squirming bundle from it and said to me, "see her, Chrissy? This is Leota, your new baby sister." Big Leota grinned evilly at me after that. It was then that I understood, and did the only thing that I knew how. I cried. I cried for a long time. Day and night, my shrieks and wails filled the air.

Daddy must have gotten tired of it, or maybe Leota suggested it to him, but one day, he got me in the car and said that we were going on a trip. The building we went to was a large, cream-colored structure. The hospital. He took my hand and led me inside, giving me to a nurse. "Take good care of her, will you?" he asked her. She nodded, and he hugged me stiffly and left. Then, the nurse led me down a hallway with a sign over it that said: **Psychiatric Ward**. I spent three years there, and when Daddy came back for me, he brought another woman with him.

When I asked him about her, he smiled at me and said, "Chrissy, this is Emily, your new mommy.

At top: "Memory" from Cats.


	3. Deaths in the Family

After my return from the hospital, life was very much like it had been before my Mama's death. I tried not to hate my father too much; after all, he had given me life.

We were more like friends then ever. Emily, because she was so young, was more like a big sister to me then a stepmother. She taught me ladylike things, like how to dance the waltz, and pick out wallpaper and flowers tastefully.

Although Leota's position in the house had returned to normal since the birth of my sister, I could still feel something lurking, some sort of negative energy, an evil plan unfulfilled.

One night, I had been out playing and had come inside particularly jumpy and happy. I had managed to catch a few fireflies in a jar and couldn't wait to show Daddy. But for some reason, that night I opened the wrong door. Leota turned towards me, and, in a rather menacing and dangerous manner, told me thatthirteen years from then, when I was nineteen, I would reach my mother's end. Then, she paused, frowning. That wasn't good enough. After I died, she amended, I would come back to Gracey Manor and find it devoid of all those I loved. I would be all alone, alive for eternity without love. Then, she told me to leave. I was so frightened I ran as fast as my feet could carry me.

Leota was quiet for awhile after that. She seemed proud of herself for at least getting me. But I knew she wouldn't stay quiet for long, and I was right.

To celebrate two years of being together, Emily and my father planned a second honeymoon at the mansion. I went to stay with Granny and Grandaddy O'Malley at their Georgia place. I had a wonderful time there, and when it came time for me to return home, my cousin Sarah came with me.

Our house is huge, and Sarah suggested a game of hide-and-go-seek. We divided the house up. She hid on the bottom floors and I took the top floors, including the attic. I was in the attic and thought I had found the perfect hiding spot in an old sea trunk. I opened it to get in, and saw something that would haunt me for the rest of my life: Emily, dead. She hadn't been there very long, and that was the scary thing about it. She looked like a pale, cold version of Sleeping Beauty. I couldn't help it. I put my hand to my mouth and screamed myself hoarse.

A little while later, I heard footsteps thundering up the attic stairs. My father appeared, and I couldn't say anything. I just pointed a shaking finger at the trunk. He came over and looked to where my finger was pointing. His face immediately lost all color, and he scooped me up, hiding my face in his shoulder. We went downstairs, and he notified the funeral parlor.

Emily's funeral was a town affair. Everyone was there except for Leota. But before my father could finish, the horses became spooked and ran off with the coffin. A few days later, the carriage was found, but we lost Emily's body.

A week later, I heard my father and Leota arguing. I could only understand a few words of my father's: Lillian, Emily, murdered.

Then, Leota muttered something. I couldn't understand. A few hours passed. I couldn't hear them eventually. I came downstairs on tiptoe. The foyer of our house was dark. I could hear nothing but the violent lash of rain on the glass windows. Then lightning flashed, and I saw my father hanging by a rope from the ceiling swinging slowly back, and forth.

At top: Memory from Cats.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapters one and two!


	4. Rest in Peace, Loving Daughter

As I looked at my father's body hanging from the rafters, something occurred to me. I had no parents. I had no friends. And every other family member I knew was a gazillion miles away. Sobbing, I ran up the stairs. In my room, I threw myself down on my bed and cried.

Before I had cried much, however, Little Leota came runnning into my room, crying herself. Assuming that she was crying over our father, I put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Although her mother was an evil, heartless murderess, she was only five and didn't deserve to have her childhood taken from her in such a manner. We wept together for awhile, and I finally asked her.

"Lettie, what's the matter?" she wiped tears from her eyes, and said quietly "Daddy's dead. Daddy's dead and Mama's stuck in her crystal ball."

I pushed her away from myself so I could look at her. "What did you say about your mama?"

She sniffled. "Mama's stuck in her crystal ball. Come see." She took my hand and led me through the hallways that I hadn't dared come through since my curse had been put upon me. She paused in front of door glowing from the inside with an ethereal green light. I could hear Leota chanting inside. It didn't seem much different to me. Lettie knew different, however. She put a finger to her lips and pushed the door open.

I had to throw my hands over my eyes. The light in the room was blinding. When it finally waned, I got a glimpse of what Lettie had been trying to tell me. Leota was in her crystal ball, but it was only her head, nothing else. I gasped.

Leota finally saw me, and glared. "I bet you're glad this happened to me, aren't you _Chrissy-Lily_? She spat out my father's nickname for me like it was poison. "I'll bet you're glad I'm going to be stuck here forever!"

I couldn't help allowing myself a little grin of triumph. "No, actually. I'm not glad you're going to be stuck here forever like that. You won't be a good houseguest."

She just fell silent and continued to glare at me.

The weeks after that were quiet at the Manor. I got one of the servants to cut Daddy down, and then we gave him a proper funeral.

Then, one night I woke up to sounds in the house. I got out of bed and grabbed a candle, praying that it wasn't a burglar or anyone that meant harm. Lettie met me in the foyer. She was whimpering and shaking. I pulled her close to me, and we walked together. We were friends, Lettie and I, and I had promised her that I would never leave her, ever. When we arrived in Leota's hallway, the sounds became distinct shrieks and squeals. I opened the door to the séance room, and saw three wraiths flying around the celing.

I looked at Leota. She smiled evilly at me from the depths of her glass prison. "Christine," she murmered smoothly, "you said I wouldn't be a good house guest, so I invited some friends. I hope you don't mind. Meet Silas Grunge, Emmet Totts, and Felicia Scratch."

I backed away in horror. Lettie was huddled in the hallway, thankfully unable to see what her mother had done. I told her to go back to her room, get under her covers, and stay there without making a sound. She nodded, running back to her room as fast as her feet would carry her.

Without saying anything to antagonize Leota, I walked back to my room, hoping that those three spirits would be the end of her channeling. Three, I could deal with. Anymore was too much.

And yet, there were more. The unfortunate thing was, she didn't have to channel them, or conjure them up. They came to us as an unfortunate result of their contact with the conniving Madame. Though most of them seemed decent, I was too frightened to get to know them personally. I needed to get out of the house, but I didn't know how. Then, one day, a few days after my thirteenth birthday, I got a call from one of my mother's friends down in Georgia. They had known each other during their circus days. He said the circus was in need of a tightrope walker, and if I was as good as my mother had been, the circus would be in business for years.

Grateful for the excuse to leave the house, and thankful that my mother had given me some training in her art, I consented. I packed my bags, and left that night, telling Lettie that I would be gone for awhile.

"Hurry back," she requested in a childish singsong tone. Assuring her that I would, and promising her that I would write once a week, I kissed the top of her head, and left, shuting her door behind me.

The Big Top seemed an exciting place. Mr. Hudson, my mother's friend, took me to meet the ring master. Although he introduced me, the ringmaster insisted he needed no introductions. I was the spitting image of my mother, he said.

Then, he asked me to show him what I could do. Confidently, I climbed up the ladder, and onto the rope that was suspended so high in the air. Placing one foot in front of the other, and holding my hands out for balance, I managed to make it from one side of the rope to the other without falling.

When I reached the ground again, the ringmaster and Mr. Hudson applauded enthusiastically. I was hired.

After a few months of practice, it was time for my first show. I hadbeen so caughtup in practices and freedom that I had forgotten aboutmy promise to writeLettie. If onlyI had known then what that mistake would cost me in the near future.Now though, I was battling first show jitters.I stood there with my parasol feeling a queer sense of déjà vu. But I was only walking above a floor, thank god.

After I had done my thing, the audience cheered loudly and called for encores. I glowed with pride. It went on like that for a few years, until the show we put on the day of my nineteenth birthday. It was on that day that Mr. Hudson and the ringmaster said that I would be doing something special to spice up my act: walking above a pit of very hungry alligators and crocodiles. All too aware of Leota's prophecy, I tried to refuse, but it was to no avail. I was too good, they said, to keep walking above the plain floor.

So, I went. As I stood above the pit on the rope, holding my parasol, I prayed to make my death quick. As I walked I tried not to look down. Then, when I was halfway across, one of the monsters escaped from the pit and took a bite out of one of the poles holding up my platform. He was soon joined by the others. I screamed, and so did everyone else. Finally, they managed to eat through the poles, and the platform fell, taking me with it. Pretty soon, I was buried beneath all their bodies as they each fought amongst themselves for a decent piece of me. I felt lots of pain, and my clothes became soaked, and bloody as they dragged me beneath the water. Then, thankfully, I felt nothing, and saw nothing but darkness.

What do you think? Christine called Little Leota "Lettie" because they were friends as kids. Sorry about Christine's gruesome death.

Thanks, Aquarian Wolf, and you'll find out about Scott soon enough.


	5. Coming Back Home

I woke up on the cold stone floor of the Foyer. For a moment, I was confused. The last thing I remembered was being chewed on by hungry beasts at the circus. I got up from the floor, and walked around. When I saw the picture of my father upon the mantle, it made me cry, as it always had. It was such a perfect likeness of him that I expected it to start speaking to me any minute. But as I looked longer and harder, something happened. Something horrible. The picture began to age. My handsome father kept getting older, and older until he was just a corpse. I backed away in horror. What had Leota done to my home?

Then, I heard her voice. It echoed all around the room, frighteningly strong and sure.

"Welcome, foolish girl, to the Haunted Mansion, _my _haunted mansion. I know you've been gone for awhile, so what do you say to a tour of our lovely home? Come with me."

I thought she was done with her speech, but it turned out that it was only beginning. Frightened out of my mind, I did as she commanded. I walked to the next room in the house. It was the room where all of our family pictures hung. I started to look around, but before I could get far, Leota was back.

"Our tour begins here, in this gallery. As you know, these are pictures of your wonderful, charming family and friends as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal states."

I nodded, and looked around. Smiling, I looked at my mother's picture. Then, there were pictures of Grandmother Mary, Uncle Edward, and Daniel, one of my favorite servants. To my surprise, there was also a picture of me and my mother and father next to my mother's portrait. I'd never seen it before.

It depicted the three of us smiling happily. It was a formal portrait, and although both of my parents had died years before, it was quite recent, my parents looking like they would if they were still alive. I was in my best pink dress, my hair curled in ringlets, and sitting on a stuffed, velvet couch. My father stood behind me, looking dashing and handsome in a tuxedo and bowtie. Both of his hands were placed on my shoulders in a loving way, and his eyes glowed with pride. My mother sat beside me on the couch, one hand on top of mine, which were both folded in my lap. It was a very sweet and serene picture.

Then, to my shock, some of the pictures, (every one except the family portrait) began to expand. I watched in shock as my mother stood on her tightrope above crocodiles, Uncle Edward stood on a lit dynamite keg, Grandma Mary sat jovially upon Grandpa's grave, and Daniel sat on the shoulders of two other servants as they struggled to find their way out of quicksand!

I looked to the ceiling and shouted, hoping Leota could hear my voice.

"What have you done!"

"I see you sense the disquieting metamorphosis. Could it be this room is actually stretching? Or is it your imagination? Well, actually it wouldn't be your imagination. I thought those pictures were too sweet, so I called up someone who could help you remember the last moments of those you loved."

I pointed to the family portrait. "What about that one? What is it?"

"Oh, do you want to see what that one does? It's just a reminder for you, Christine."

"What do you mean?"

And as I stared at the picture, lightning struck it. It turned my smiling parents into shells of themselves. My father's skeletal fingers gripped my shoulders, his smiling face now a grotesquely smiling skull cocked at a strange angle on his neck, a reminder of how he left this world. And if he was bad, my mother was even worse. Her dress was torn and bloodied in several places, and there were chunks missing from her face. There was blood all over her body, and much of it was trickling in streams onto my dress. Her hands touching mine were bones, and separated from the rest of her body. The only one who hadn't changed was me. I was still as young and beautiful as I had been before, but now, I wasn't smiling.

I couldn't look at the pictures anymore. I threw myself down on the floor and cried. Then, Leota's voice was back again. "I can see you like that, but the real chills come later. There is still much to see. Come along. Don't get lost now, and look alive."

If only I could, I thought. If only I could.

Leota led me through the music room and the library, favorite rooms of mine which, thankfully, she had left relatively unharmed.

Then, we reached her domain: the Séance Room. It was as dusty and mysterious as I remembered it to be. I asked her why we were there.

"The rest of the spirits in this house have been waiting for you, Christine. Now, I will call them." Then, for the first time in years, I saw her face reflected in her crystal ball. She began to chant, her instruments sounding along with her:

"_Serpents, and spiders, tail of a rat,_  
_Call in the spirits, where-ever they're at!_  
**Moans and screams fill the room**  
_Rap on a table, it's time to respond,_  
_Send us a message, from regions beyond!_  
**Three slow knocks from the two tables**  
_Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween,_  
_Awaken the spirits with your tambourine!_  
**A nearby hovering tambourine shakes and echoes**  
_Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond,_  
_Let there be music, from regions beyond!_  
**Every instrument in the room plays in harmony**  
_Wizards and witches, where-ever you dwell,_  
_Give us a hint, by ringing a bell!_ "  
**A nearby bell shakes violently**

Then, she grinned at me mischievously. "The happy haunts heard my chants, and are assembling for a swinging wake. Go ahead. I'll see you later."

Uncertainly, I pressed on. I found myself in the ballroom. It was filled wall-to-wall with spirits and wraiths from all across time. I looked around, and at the head of the table, I finally spotted a friendly face.

"Aunt Vickie!" I squealed. A plump, friendly faced ghost with big orange hair grinned at me. I ran over to her, and she hugged me tightly.

"Chrissy-Lily, I missed you! Well, don't just stand there, join the party. There are several eligible young men who have been waiting to meet you. Why don't you give them a dance?" she pointed at several couples who were dancing nearby. I hesitated.

"Aunt Vickie, I don't like dancing the waltz, remember?"

She looked at me, and nodded. "Oh, yes, I forgot. Wolfgang, take the rest of the night off!" the organist, a stern man in a tall hat, turned and nodded slightly to her, and ceased playing. He stepped away from the organ. Then, Aunt Vickie brought out a gramophone and put on a jazz recording. It was my favorite song. My sense of happy familiarity increased as the lyrics and beat washed over me.

I danced with boy after boy, late into the night.

A/n- all the HM parts you recognize belong to Disney, and "All That Jazz" is from _Chicago._


	6. Finding a Friend

The next day, I awoke with the idea to do more exploring in my old home. I wondered what else Leota had done to it. The next room on my list was the attic. I was a little apprehensive to go where Emily had died so long ago, but one thing strengthened my resolve: the possibility that she might still be there.

She wasn't like a parent to me. She was more like an incredibly loving older sister. Ever since I had come into my ghostly existence, this thought had haunted me. Leota wanted me to be without my parents, but does a stepmother really count as such? Especially at Emily's tender age of sixteen.

I stretched and got out of bed. Dressing quickly, I ran out of my room, and through the many twisted halls of my mansion. Along the way, I ran into a trio of servants whom I hadn't seen for a long time. Asa Gilbert, Eddy Foster, and Daniel Patterson were the Mansion's handyman, gardener, and liveryman. They had been roustabouts at the same circus as my mother, and they felt great affection for her and for me.

They greeted me warmly, and Asa said quietly, "if it's not overstepping a servant's boundaries, Miss Christine, you're as beautiful as your mother. We were extremely saddened by her loss." Eddy and Daniel nodded in agreement.

I could feel my Mama's light southern drawl creeping into my voice, like it always did when I talked to her three friends. I've often thought that maybe it happened to assure them that as long as I was around, my mother would never truly be gone.

"Thank you so much, boys. That means the world to me. Now, would y'all do me a favor, and tell me what that witch Leota's done to the attic so I can prepare myself for any possible unpleasantness?"

Daniel grinned. "No unpleasantness in the attic, Miss Christine, but you might find someone who will cheer you up a bit."

I let out a little squeal of joy, thanked them, and turned on my heel, racing towards the attic steps. When I reached them, I leaped up two steps at a time. As I neared the top, I could hear a young woman singing. Emily sang sometimes, but the voice was singing opera, and Emily was never trained in opera.

I stood at the doorway with one hand on the frame, and listened. I could finally make out all the words of the young woman's song.

I knocked on the doorframe, and finally managed to get her attention. She turned around and let out a little happy squeal.

"Christine!" she ran towards me and embraced me tight. Then, all of a sudden, she pulled back, looking saddened.

"Christine, what has happened to you? I thought for sure that you would be an old woman the next time we met!"

I looked at her, strangely disoriented. I could tell it wasn't Emily, but who else did I know who died shrouded in their trousseau?

Finally, it came to me to look in her eyes for clues to her identity. She was of average height with long, chestnut brown hair pulled back into her bridal veil. Her brown eyes were concerned as they searched mine.

Looking at her wasn't helping. I pulled away from her hug, and went to sit on Emily's trunk to give myself thinking time. I shut my eyes and let my short life play like a movie in front of my eyes.

The first memory that came occurred during my happy years with my father. When I was six and seven, we had spent summers in the old ghost town of Thunder Mesa. The hotel we had stayed at on both occasions had once been the home of Henry and Martha Ravenswood, and their daughter Melanie.

Melanie had died around 1860, awhile after a huge earthquake struck the town. The local people said it was heartache that did her in. I asked her about the real cause of her death when she would come to haunt my room at night.

She had just looked at me sadly, and said that that was true. After a vengeful spirit killed her fiancé on their wedding day, she lost the will to live. About a week after the earthquake, pneumonia swept through the town, and although there was treatment available, she rejected it. With the last of her strength, she had pulled herself to his grave, and laid there, whispering reassurances to her dear, departed beloved.

But after she died, she didn't get to see him. I could relate to that now. I remembered Melanie's face, and opened my eyes to look at the figure at the window. She looked back, waiting for a response. I stood up, and tentatively walked over to her, touching her arm.

"Melanie?" I whispered, shocked, and happy that I had at least one friend around here.

"Yes!" she squealed again. "It's about time, young lady. I was sure you'd remember me!"

I laughed. "Be nice to me. It's been years since I stayed at your house, and you know it."

Rolling her eyes, she hugged me again, and this time, I hugged her back.

"So," she said, releasing me, "how did you end up here?"

"Leota," I said sulkily. "She cursed me so I would stay here forever after I died, and no one would love me."

Melanie shook her head. "She's failed already, hasn't she? I mean, I love you like a sister, and who knows how many relatives you've got downstairs? Not to mention the three servants who knew your mother."

I nodded. "But what about a boy? I mean, there's no one here that I see myself falling in love with. And Melanie, once Leota figures out what you already know, she'll make sure I never fall in love, I'm sure of it!"

Melanie just laughed. "Are you allowed to leave the house?" she asked me.

I nodded. "I can, I just never saw a reason to."

She grinned, barely able to contain her excitement. "Come with me to Thunder Mesa! There are lots of handsome young men there and one in particular who's been asking about you forever."

I pulled her closer to me. "Who is it?"

She shook her head, smiling gleefully with her knowledge. "You have to come with me to find out, now don't you?"

I feigned exasperation, and took her hand. We were just about to head out the door when a dark, shadowy figure materialized in front of it, blocking our way.


	7. Hitching a Ride

Melanie quickly but gently pushed me behind her. She gave the shadowy figure a glare.

"You can't just leave me alone, can you? You have to follow me all the time."

The figure's laughter echoed ominously around the attic. Then, it spoke.

"Well, how could I not? When one is in love with such a beautiful young woman, it cannot be any sort of love but the truest."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Oh, and I suppose that it mattered nothing to you that I was already engaged?"

From where I was standing, I could see its eyes flash. "Engaged to a simple country fool who could give you nothing! Melanie Ravenswood, I could give you everything, yet you don't think of giving me the slightest chance?"

Melanie shook her head defiantly.

"Is that your final answer? So be it. I can give you everything, but I can also take everything you love away. Just you wait Melanie! You will rue the day that you crossed the Phantom!"

Then, the lightening flashed and he laughed loudly again. He made his way to jump out the window, but before he could even go near it, I heard movement and angry muttering coming from the hallway outside the attic. A few minutes later, Madame Leota exploded into the room, knocking the door off its hinges.

"If all of you don't mind, I'm trying to have a séance!" she fumed. Then, she noticed the Phantom floating by the window. Her eyes widened, and she floated over to him.

"Hello there," she said silkily, a voice that I hadn't heard since she'd lured in Antoine and Etienne. "What brings you here?"

The Phantom warmed under her gaze. "Madame, I am already attempting to be spoken for." He tried to sound like he meant it, but it didn't sound genuine.

Madame Leota shook her head. I stared at the two of them, trying to get my legs to move so that Melanie and I could escape while our two enemies were being distracted by each other, but they didn't seem to want to move.

"I'm not trying to pick up a date, I just wondered, I heard you yelling from downstairs, and I gather that you want to make her miserable forever. Am I right?" Madame shifted her eyes towards Melanie.

The Phantom nodded his head yes. For the first time, I could see his full form. He was tall, wearing an even taller hat, and cape, and high black boots.

Leota smirked. "Well, you don't seem to be doing a really good job. Meanwhile, I'm the priestess of eternal punishment. Just ask the girl standing behind your Melanie. Her name is Christine Gracey. I killed off her mother, father, and stepmother. Now she's stuck here all alone. Beat that, genius!"

It was the Phantom's turn to snort. "Oh really? Well, if she's supposed to be all alone, then how come you have 998 other people living here? Answer that one Smarty!"

While they argued over who was more evil, Melanie and I made our escape. We headed out the door of the attic, and broke one of the hall windows to get out. When we were finally outside, we went through the cemetery, a bad decision which caused us to have a major delay because everyone wanted to talk to me, and see how I was and all that.

Finally, we were out of there, and the next place to go was the crypt. I walked in, and saw my cousin Gus, and Ezra and Phinneaus, two of his friends from the place where he'd been institutionalized. As we walked by, he jabbed me in the side.

"Christine," he whispered, "I hear that you're thinking of going to Thunder Mesa. Do you have any way to get there?"

"No," I whispered back. "Any suggestions?"

"Well…" here, he grinned. "There's always _our_ way!" he gestured at Ezra, who had his thumb over his shoulder.

I shook my head. "No way. That's dangerous! That's taking unnecessary chances!"

"Christine, Christine, Christine. Let's think about this. Leota cursed you to be on earth forever. What could possibly happen to you?"

I sighed. "I guess you're right. Melanie, is that all right with you?"

She sighed at me, exasperated. "Christine, I died in 1860. I can't drive a car, and no one uses carriages anymore. I will try any way possible.

I nodded. "How'd you get here, anyway?"

"Oh, Daniel picked me up in the car."

Thanking Gus and his friends, Melanie and I continued on.

Just before we were off the Mansion grounds completely, I saw someone I didn't expect to see.

"Lettie?" I squealed. "Is that you?" I saw her perched on a ledge on the side of the house. She was no more then three feet tall.

"What in the world happened?"

Finally, she looked down at me. "Oh, so now you care. You leave for three years, and I'm stuck here with Mama. I'm glad you left, Christine. Mama showed me how life really is. People are just going to let you down, so you might as well stomp on them while you can. Oh, and by the way, Hellhound's dead. I suppose you could say I killed him."

I shook my head. "That is disgusting. You killed an innocent animal just to get back at me?"

"Well no, actually. I killed Asa, Eddy, and Daniel in the quicksand for snubbing me. Hellhound's death was just an added bonus."

I was about to go up and punch her, but Melanie grabbed my arm, and pulled me away. We walked out to the main road outside the house and stood there, hoping there would be at least one car willing to pick up two beautiful girls. We got lucky sooner then we thought. After about five minutes, a Packard pulled up with a very handsome boy in the front seat. He smiled at us and said "I'm Scott. You ladies need a ride?" Melanie nodded, and thanked him, hopping beside him in the front seat.

I didn't follow immediately though. Something told me that this guy was dangerous. Since we had no other way away from my house, I shrugged the feelings off. But all the way to Thunder Mesa, I tried to detect what was under that handsome smile.


	8. Returning to Thunder Mesa

We drove along the road for a while, Scott making small talk with Melanie in the front seat, and me letting the wind blow in my hair in the back. I said nothing all the way to Thunder Mesa. But Melanie didn't notice, and if she did, she didn't say anything.

Finally, we arrived at the entrance to the town. It looked much different now then it had when my father and I had come to stay. Instead of being kept in a pristine state, every tree, weed, and patch of grass was overgrown. Ivy crawled over chipped fences that had once been painted shining white, but were now just rotting wood.

Buildings were dark with broken windows, and the streets were deserted of all life. I tapped Melanie on the shoulder, and when she turned around in the seat to look at me, I glanced at her appealingly.

"Mellie, what happened? Everything looks so different. "

She nodded. "Christine, what you're seeing is _my _Thunder Mesa."

"_Your _Thunder Mesa?"

She nodded. "Yes, my Thunder Mesa. After your last summer here with your father, the people who kept up the town became bankrupt and had to desert the project. And after that, the citizens of the town took it back. Now it's the way _they _like it."

"And where exactly are the citizens of Thunder Mesa?"

She grinned. "Shut your eyes. They're coming. They know I'm here, and they like you, so they want to give you a good welcome."

In obedience to Melanie, I shut my eyes. I could feel Scott continuing to drive the car down the town's main drag. When we finally stopped, Melanie told me to open my eyes.

"WELCOME HOME, MELANIE!"

When I opened my eyes, I could not stop myself from gasping in surprise. What had been an empty landscape just minutes before was now a bustling street full to the brim with lively, excited (and dead,) citizens of the ghost town of Thunder Mesa.

Scott hopped out of the front seat, and hurried around to open car doors, first for Melanie, then for me.

When the two of us had gotten out of the car, a red suited, heavily bearded man came toward us. He embraced Melanie.

"Welcome home Miss Melanie. And is this Miss Christine?" he released Melanie to look at me.

"Why yes, it must be. Miss Christine, I'm Charlie Reilly, Mayor of Thunder Mesa. We've been wondering if we were going to ever see you again."

Then, he bowed deeply, and as he did so, I had the "pleasure" of finding out how he died. He went to tip his hat, and accidentally took his head with it!

"Oh, darn. I have to remember to let go slowly after I've bowed to a lady, so that my head doesn't come off with it. I'm sorry if it disturbed you."

I shrugged. "It's fine. My mansion is haunted too, and there's one woman in it who's nothing _but_ a head, so I'm quite used to it."

"Christine's body got carried off by mad beasts at the circus a few days ago, so she hasn't been a ghost for very long." Melanie told Charlie.

His eyes widened. "Well I'll be. And here I thought you came and brought us a live girl."

I looked away from Charlie and around at the group of spectators who had come to greet me and Melanie. A movement in the crowd caught my eye. It was a young man, maybe a little older then me. He had been staring at me the whole time that Melanie and I had been talking to Charlie, and when he noticed me staring back, he ran away before I could even move towards him.

Melanie had followed my gaze, and she apparently knew who my admirer was. But when I asked her for his name, she just grinned secretly at me and said "you'll see, Christine, you'll see."

Finally, Scott came up behind us carrying some stuff that I had brought along with me. Melanie told me to follow her, and we walked through the town, her telling me lots of stories about the old Thunder Mesa, and especially about the major earthquake that preceded her death.

"They were fine times before the quake, Chrissy. Everybody acted like neighbors. Mother and Father had many friends in this town, and so did I. some people though, say that Father wasn't too happy with my choice of fiancé, which is true. He thought Jack was too simple. The weird thing is that some people think the Phantom is my father!"

That made me snort. "Really? Oh, Freud would have a field day with that one. It makes no sense. Why would your father be stalkerishly in love with you?"

Melanie laughed. "I don't know! But that is actually kind of an easy mistake to make because the Phantom is the ghost of the man my father _wanted_ me to marry. They spent a lot of time in each other's company."

"What happened to him, the Phantom I mean?"

"Oh, he was in the saloon during the quake. The roof split his head when it caved in. I guess he was either so in love with me or so determined to keep his promise to my father that he stayed around. But, now that he's at your house fighting with that horrible Leota woman over who's more evil, we get some time without him.

And Melanie was right. When we entered her house, I could feel a calm, pleasant vibe.

Then, she walked me to her bedroom. "Now, do you want to meet your secret admirer?"

I nodded happily, and she left to go get him. A few minutes later, Scott came into the room.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Christine, but I heard you and Melanie talking, and I'm curious. What do you think of the Phantom?"

"I think he's just awful! The stuff he's done to Melanie is so bad."

"And what about Madame Leota?"

"I hate her, too. She wrecked my entire family."

Scott looked at me pityingly. "Are you sure that's what you think about them? be careful Christine."

"Why are you asking me about them? you can't know Leota!"

He looked at me as if I were stupid. "What kind of person doesn't know their own parents?"

I could feel my jaw drop. "That's not possible! The Phantom died seventy years ago. He can't have kids!"

Scott laughed. "God you're stupid. You're beautiful, but you're stupid. Besides being a spirit medium, my mother was also a witch."

"That's what I've thought of her my whole life, but not exactly with that first consonant."

But Scott was going on as if I hadn't spoken. "She was actually truly alive at the same time as my father. She kept herself young with voodoo potions, and after the earthquake killed my father, she resurrected his spirit. But instead of going back to my mother, he left her for Melanie, and she doesn't even return his feelings! I haven't been in my parents' good graces for a while now, but they told me that if I got rid of you and Melanie for good, we would be a family again for all eternity. And the way I see it, every kid deserves a family."

He stopped talking then and went to a cabinet, taking out of it a book of voodoo spells. He flipped through pages, finally coming to the right spell. He shut the door and all the windows so I couldn't escape, and began the incantation. I couldn't understand any of it, but my eyes widened as I realized that the more Scott chanted, the floor began to move and shake until it broke, exposing the ground. Then, the room filled with bright blue light and a sucking sound emitted from a hole he'd carved in the floor.

The wind began to suck the various things in the vortex, and I realized that if I didn't do something quick, I'd be next.

Aquarian Wolf- Surprise! Hope you like this chapter! I didn't plan the ending.


	9. My Knight in Shining Armor

I opened my mouth to scream, but smoke from the hole slithered into my mouth, choking me. I coughed and sputtered my screaming cut off. Then, a chair in the far corner of the room shot towards me and scooped me into a sitting position. The chair then continued towards the hole. I looked back at Scott, but he was still chanting and not paying any attention to me.

I began screaming, and thankfully, no smoke cut off my air supply. Just before the chair dumped me into the hole, I felt a strong arm grab me around the waist and yank me off the chair. As I looked on in horror, the chair, without me in it, fell down into the endless, smoky blue abyss. As I stared at the spot where the floor had been, I felt a touch on my shoulder, and turned to look at my rescuer.

I couldn't make out much in the dim light, but I could tell that he was tall, and what little light there was glinted off his dark blond hair. As I gazed at him, I heard angry crashing on the other side of the room. Scott had just realized that his little exorcism had not gone according to plan. He was stomping around the book and muttering expletives that I can safely say were not exactly mild. Upon hearing his words, I saw my companion's tall body tremble with rage. He stood up, stalked over to the other side of the room, and faced Scott.

"Now sir, that is not how a gentleman talks in front of a lady." His voice was soft and clear, and I could hear a soft southern drawl in it.

Instead of looking threatened, Scott just laughed. "Oh, yeah? Who's a lady? And I can talk any way I want in front of anybody. It's no business of yours."

My companion flipped on the lights in the room. Then, his hand went for his hip.

"I'm normally not a man of violence, but sir, you leave me no choice." Then, he pulled out a gun, and pulled the trigger. Scott attempted to jump out of the way, but was wounded in the abdomen in the process. As he lay moaning on the ground, I walked over to him.

"How could you be injured? You've already died once." He gave me a look.

"Mother resurrected me." His voice was weak, and after he spoke, he let out a scream of pain. Then, his body jerked, he screamed a little more, and then his body stilled forever.

After I made sure he could no longer move, I stepped away from him, and walked over to my rescuer who had returned his gun to its storage place.

He looked at me, and he smiled, holding out his hand. "Christine."

I shook my head, confused. "Who are you? How do you know me?"

He withdrew his hand and looked at me sadly.

"You don't remember me? I thought you would. My name is Michael. Michael Allen-Park."

I frowned for a minute, thinking about whether I truly remembered this boy, young man really.

My thoughts were interrupted however, by the sound of feet pounding desperately up the stairs, and all of a sudden, Melanie burst into the room. She took one look at Michael and me and sighed in relief.

"Michael, thank god you found her. I heard screaming, tell me what happened?"

Michael and I shifted our eyes towards Scott's dead body. Melanie followed our gazes, and her eyes widened.

"What happened to him?"

I gulped. "He was Leota and the Phantom's son Mellie. He was going to banish both of us to limbo so that he could be in his parents' good graces. But then Michael shot him and saved me."

She wrinkled her nose. "Who would willingly spend more time with the Phantom or Leota then they absolutely have to?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Family can make you do strange things."

Melanie looked at Michael and straightened up. "Well, I guess since the two of you are together, then we can be heading back to Christine's house."

I stared at her. "_What_? We can't go home now! We haven't even been here very long! Besides, he knows me, but I don't know him, and even if I do know him, I don't remember it. Explain that to me."

Melanie took my hand. "We will, Christine. Just wait until we get in Michael's car, and we'll explain on the way."

And with that, she led me to another Packard parked behind the house.

"How'd you get this?" I asked Michael.

He looked at me with his deep blue eyes, and my brain seemed to stop working.

"It actually belongs to the man who lives in my former home. I borrow it occasionally."

"But you're a ghost. Wouldn't it look weird out on the road to see a car driving with no one at the steering wheel?"

Michael shook his head. "You really haven't been dead very long have you? The longer you're a ghost, the more visible you become to other people. Like if a living person looked at you right now, they wouldn't be able to see you at all because you've only been dead a few days. But me, I died seventy years ago in the quake, so I've had some time on this earth for people to get used to me."

I nodded. After the three of us had settled into the car and were on the road, I asked Melanie, "How do you guys know each other?"

And Melanie said, "Michael was Jack's brother, and my brother-in-law-to-be."

"Melanie, where do I come into all of this?"

"Well, one summer after you left the house with your father, Michael came up to me and asked me who you were. I asked him why he wanted to know, and he told me that he thought you were pretty. Then, he said that he had talked to Miss Mary the day before, and that she had told him a way to get Jack back."

"Two questions. One, who is Miss Mary, and two, how would you get Jack back?"

Melanie held up her hand. "Calm down, I'm getting there. One, Miss Mary is like a benevolent version of Madame Leota. She communicated with any lost spirits before the quake. And two, the way to get Jack back was for Michael to fall in love, then come back and live with his love in Ravenswood Manor. That would prove that love could exist in this house, and that is what Jack needs to come back."

"Okay, but if we need to stay at your house, why are we going back to mine?"

"Because you two aren't actually in love yet, and you still have lots of issues regarding your parents that need fixing. Then we can start on getting Jack back.

After a bit of driving, we reached home, and when we got inside, thankfully, there were no introductions from Leota. I turned to Michael, and let my own Southern drawl come back.

"Welcome to my home. If you like, I'll give you the tour."

He nodded, grinning. As we entered the portrait gallery though, something surprising happened. I heard a voice, sharp and commanding in the empty room.

"Christine!"

I looked up. It was coming from Grandma Mary's portrait!

**Moonjava- Thanks. I hope I haven't lost you yet!**

**Aquarian Wolf- Here's the next Christine chappie sooner then expected! Hope you like it!**


	10. First Outside Contact

As I stared at the picture of Grandma Mary, Michael grabbed my wrist and gently pushed me behind him. As he did it, I swear I saw the picture grin at him.

"Calm down young man. That's my granddaughter you have behind you. I mean her no harm."

Michael let go of my wrist and stared intently at the picture.

"Are you truly her grandmother? If you are, then how come you're the only relative of hers that resides here? Where's the rest of her family? As I understand it, Christine was supposed to be alone forever."'

A laugh echoed around the gallery.

"If she's supposed to be so alone, then how come you're there?"

Michael let go of my hand and stepped away from me.

"I'm not family. I'm a…friend."

"Oh, don't try and fool me, boy. I know you fancy her. It's hard not to fancy our Chrissy-Lily."

"Well ma'am, I can think of at least one person who does not share that opinion."

"Grandma," I broke in, "this is Michael. Answer his question. Why are you here when Mama, Daddy, and Emmie aren't?"

"Christine, that's what I need to talk to you about. I'm here because you pulled that little act of disobedience against Leota and got yourself a boyfriend. But getting your mother and father back won't be as easy. To get them back, you must get rid of Leota."

"And how do I do that?"

"Well, first, you are going to toughen up a bit young lady. I don't want to hear anymore of that sad, sappy drivel you sing out on the terrace at night. I didn't kill your grandfather to have a granddaughter who sings 'oh poor me' songs,' and I refuse to be related to anyone who acts that way!"

I saw Michael gape a little bit. "Now ma'am, just a minute-"

"BE QUIET, BOY! KINDLY DO NOT TELL ME HOW TO TREAT MY OWN GRANDDAUGHTER! ANYTHING I SAY IS FOR HER OWN GOOD!" she paused for a minute, and then resumed her rant.

"NOW, WHERE WERE WE BEFORE GENTLEMAN BOY INTERRUPTED? OH, YES. CHRISTINE LILLIAN O'MALLEY GRACEY, THIS IS YOUR HOUSE, NOT THAT LEOTA WOMAN'S SO QUIT ACTING LIKE SHE OWNS THE PLACE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT SHE AND YOUR FATHER WERE ARGUING ABOUT THE NIGHT HE DIED?"

"No." after all her yelling, my voice sounded like a soft squeak.

"Well, I can tell you." I heard her take a deep breath and her vocal volume lowered considerably.

"They were fighting over who was the heir to your father's estate. Naturally, Leota wanted her daughter to inherit everything, but your father told her no. he said that little Leota was not a legitimate heir."

"He's not kidding," I breathed.

Grandma Mary let out a little laugh. "Anyway, your father proclaimed you the legal heir in his will, so the house belongs to you. Then, Leota got angry, and that was when she cast a spell to imprison your father in her crystal ball. That's why he committed suicide. So that Leota's spell would backfire on her, trapping her, and you wouldn't be at her mercy for the rest of your life."

I felt myself beginning to tear up. "So, he really _did_ kill himself because he loved me. It's true, but it's so strange. What should I do now?"

"I suggest you go down to the ballroom. The dancers have something they'd like to show you. Consider it the beginning of Tough Girl Boot Camp."

I took Michael's hand again, and led him to our ballroom, where I noticed something strange. The dancers were usually dancing the waltz with Wolfgang's melancholy music accompanying them. But tonight, he was playing something much more upbeat. The ballroom itself had completely changed. The floor was flashing different colors, and a sparkly round thing was rotating from the ceiling. I stepped into the room, and to my great surprise, saw Melanie standing on a makeshift stage clutching a microphone. I walked over to her, hoping that she might be able to tell me what was going on.

"Melanie, can you please tell me what's going on here? What in the world is Wolfgang playing, and why is everybody dressed in those _weird _clothes?"

"We're discoing, Christine. It's a dance from the future. Little Leota saw it in a vision. Isn't it _groovy?_"

"WHAT? What in the world does that mean?"

"You know, I really don't know what it means, I just think its fun to say. It's almost time for the Electric slide. That's the dance the dancers want to teach you."

I sighed and turned to face Michael.

"Will you dance with me?"

He grinned. "You bet, Peach. It's not proper for a lady to dance alone."

Melanie shook her head. "It's not a partner dance, it's a line dance. You don't dance together."

I sighed. Tough Girl boot camp was hard.

Pretty soon, Melanie started singing some weird song about "I will survive." The dancers lined up and began dancing an equally strange dance. It involved lots of clapping and conformity. I didn't get it. I was mostly too busy listening to the words of her song.

And the more I listened to it, the more I realized: The song was talking about _me_. It was telling me that I was capable of taking charge of my own existence. I didn't have to take Leota anymore. I knew I had one thing from my father: stubbornness. And I was determined to use it. I grabbed Michael's hand and led him out of the ballroom.

"Come on, Michael. We've got a score to settle."

A/n- There's probably only one or two chapters left until the sequel. And LL isn't as hostile towards Christine anymore now that she's dating a hot guy.

**Aquarian Wolf- Here's another chapter! Hope you like it!**

**Melanie Gracey- I know the Phantom and Leota are a sick pairing. Thanks for all the compliments!**


	11. A New Family Begun

I led Michael out of the ballroom and into the portrait gallery.

"Well Grandma Mary, I'm ready to do whatever it is that I have to do to get my parents back." Her voice resounded in the empty hall.

"Well Chrissy-Lily, that's wonderful. Now, answer a question for me. How did Leota get here in the first place?"

I thought for a moment. "Is the answer 'because Daddy hired her?'"

She laughed. "You've got it, honey."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "Peach, what does who your daddy hired have to do with anything?"

That made me snort a little bit. "Michael, it matters because now that Daddy's dead, the house, and everyone in it, including Leota, is under my control. Daddy named me the legitimate heir in his will."

Michael still looked clueless. "Excuse me for sounding repetitive here, but I still don't get what any of this has to do with you."

Grandma Mary sighed. "Please act more intelligent then you are right now. I know you're capable of it."

Michael nodded, and I took his hand. "Michael, Daddy hired Leota when he owned the house, so now that I own it, I have the ability to _fire_ her. Do you understand?"

His eyes lit up. "All right, I get it now. But I know it won't be easy. Leota's a power-hungry monster, and she won't give up without a fight."

I nodded. "But I'm not going to be nice. When Leota alienated Daddy, she alienated the one person in our house who actually liked her. now she has to deal with the consequences, and revenge, southern style. I want to fire her for everybody here, especially Mama, who wanted it so badly, but couldn't do it herself."

Then, Grandma Mary spoke again. "Well, girl, are you just going to stand there and talk about what you're going to do, or are you going to go to the séance room and do it?"

I felt a new energy flowing inside me. A strong energy that gave me a power rush that I never thought I would ever experience. Once again, I grabbed Michael's hand, and we left the portrait gallery, heading for the séance room, the place where my doom had been pronounced so many years before.

The moment I stepped in the room, I felt hostility. I felt evil. I felt trapped. But with Michael's hand in mine, it was easy to push these feelings away and hold my head high.

"Hello, Leota."

Suddenly, mist began to swirl around in her crystal ball, and in a matter of seconds, Leota's face appeared. She looked at me and forced a grin.

"Hello there, Christine." She laughed dryly. "Aren't you the clever little girl? Going all the way to Thunder Mesa to get yourself a boyfriend to foil my plans."

I nodded. "And thanks for the welcoming committee by the way, I really appreciated it."

She didn't blink. "Oh, you mean Scott? He tried, but he was a worthless child really."

I could feel my jaw drop. "You don't know how to love anybody do you? Has anybody ever loved you?"

She frowned. "Love is a foolish emotion. It gets you nowhere in life."

I shook my head. "You're wrong. I know of three people who feel differently. My mother, my father, Emily."

She rolled her eyes. "You're father was a fool, Christine. You say he knew how to love, but he really didn't. He was insane."

I held her eyes. "Oh, really? Then how com you're the one in the crystal ball and he isn't? He committed suicide so that you would be trapped there forever, and I wouldn't be in your control for the rest of my life. He may have been crazy at times and had a weird way of showing that he knew how to love, but the reason why you're trapped in there and I'm out here talking to you is because my father loved me, and for that, I love him."

Just then, there was a sound from the foyer. Michael asked me if I would be all right by myself for a few minutes while he left and investigated. I said that I would and he left.

He didn't come back forever, and just when I was beginning to get worried, he came running in with a wide grin on his face. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the ballroom.

"Michael, what in the world are you doing? I have to fire Leota before I get out of there." His zeal was a little frightening.

He shook his head. "No, you don't have to fire her."

I was confused. "Of course I do. It's the only way to bring Mama and Daddy back."

Finally, we were in the foyer, and Michael stopped running and let go of my hand. I could see a man standing there with his back to me, facing my father's picture. As he turned around to face me, I felt shock permeate my body. Michael saw my expression and grinned.

"Oh, really Peach? If firing Leota is the only way to bring your father back, then what's he doing standing in the foyer?"

I couldn't make words for a reply. I could only wipe away my happy tears as I ran into my father's waiting arms.

A/n- Not over quite yet.Twomore chapters.

**Aquarian Wolf- The sequel is taking over my brain. It's almost hard to finish these last chapters! The Electric Slide part was an important development of Christine's character, so I wouldn't leave it out. Thanks for all the compliments!**

**Melanie Gracey- Thanks. I'll get that review of yours done today.**


	12. The Girl In Charge

I looked up at my father's blurry form through wet eyes. I scrubbed roughly at my face, then I looked into his eyes.

"Daddy, is it really you? How did you get here?"

He looked at me thoughtfully. "You know what, Chrissy, I really have no idea how I got out here. All I know is that I've been watching you ever since you arrived, and I have to say that you are much more suited for running this house then I am."

I looked at him, stunned. "Do you really believe that?"

Just then, Lettie came up to me looking incredibly flustered.

"Christine, you have to help me! Jamie's driving me insane."

I looked at her without sympathy. Jamie was her former husband whom she had murdered for his estate. She had also convinced him that he was a vampire. That's how he had died, and it apparently hadn't occurred to him that it wasn't true.

"Lettie, what do you want me to do? You hate it when I lecture you about this. You were the one that made him think he was a vampire, and you and Nick did a darn good job from the looks of things. The way the poor man just lies there in his coffin all day screaming for someone to let him out is enough to make anyone feel sympathy. You go and do it because I am done cleaning up your messes for you."

She sighed heavily, and her eyes wondered over to our father and immediately widened.

"What are _you _doing here, Daddy?"

Our father looked at her with something like distaste.

"Are you still here? I would have thought that your mother would have found someone else to toy around with and curse years ago and taken you with her."

Instead of looking offended, Lettie held her ground.

"No, father. Mother hasn't been anywhere since you left this earth. She sort of became _attached_ to this spot."

Daddy looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Lettie smiled mysteriously, her frustration over Jamie temporarily forgotten.

"Why don't you come see for yourself?"

We both followed her until we reached the conservatory where my sister's poor former husband made residence. Although I had told her that I wouldn't clean up her messes, his wails had once again filled me with sympathy, and I stayed there while Lettie and my father traveled on.

The conservatory was a vision of black, and although it was dark, it didn't take me long to find Jamie.

His coffin was perched on a table at the end of the room, and as I watched, his creaking and screaming began.

"Let me out! Let me out of here!" over and over again. But that wasn't the only sound. Perched on Jamie's coffin lid was my Auntie Elma's old raven. Aunt Vickie told me that after she'd died, Auntie Elma had possessed the raven so that she could be in the house forever. It was she who warned people in the house away from Jamie's coffin.

"You've disturbed a guest! Now you'll be sorry."

I sighed and shook my head, approaching the upset coffin. When Auntie Elma saw it was only me and not some stranger, she quit her squawking, and flew off somewhere else.

I placed my hands on Jamie's coffin lid and pulled. Old, rusty nails howled in protest as they were pulled away from the wood. When Jamie's coffin was finally open, the man sat up for the first time in awhile and looked around the room. Then, he saw me and his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you around here before." His voice sounded wheezy and hoarse from all the shouting he'd been doing."

"I'm Christine. I own the house."

He nodded, pushing back snowy hair from tired blue eyes encased in thick-lensed glasses.

"Well, Christine, could you tell someone to fix the lock on the door? I've been locked in here for days. I have to get back to my plantation. It's almost sugarcane season."

I waited awhile before I spoke.

"I'm sorry Mr. Padgett, but you don't own your plantation anymore. You've been dead for almost a year."

He shook his head at me and laughed slightly.

"What an imagination you have, young lady. I can't be dead. I've never felt better in my life!"

I pointed at his coffin.

"Trust me, it's not my imagination. How do you explain this then?"

His face never changed expression.

"That's easy. I collect old coffins. This is the Wooden Rose model. I've always said I wanted to be buried in one. It's one of the best models there is."

I growled in frustration. Just as I was about to pull a Grandma Mary, Daniel came running in looking panicked.

"Miss Christine, come quick! Felicia's doing one of her spells again."

I sighed. "When will that woman learn that she is _not_ a witch?"

Leaving Jamie, I followed Daniel through the house and to a remote corner of our family cemetery where an old woman with crazy hair stood over a cauldron muttering nonsense to herself. I tapped her on the shoulder and she stopped muttering and turned around so fast that Daniel and I both jumped.

"What business have you to disturb my magical doings?" she asked in a mystical, eerie whisper.

I scoffed.

"What magical doings? You were a bad witch when you were alive and you're an even worse one now."

She looked livid.

"Take that back, dearie, or I am afraid I will have to put the Old Witches' Curse on you!'

I yawned.

"Been there, done that. Now, for the last time, you can't do that spell here, or else the whole house will blow up!"

She smiled and shook her head.

"Not a chance dear. I'm the best there is."

I snorted. "Yeah, the best at getting blown up! You _died_ doing witchcraft if I have to remind you."

She shrugged.

"That was a one time thing."

Since she really wasn't getting the message, I grabbed her book and began to tear the pages out. She screamed curses at me, and after I was finished, threw the remains of the book into her cauldron, satisfied she wouldn't be doing danger to herself and others anymore. Then, Daniel and I went back into the house.

Daddy had returned to the Foyer, and looked as though he had had the wind knocked out of him. I watched him for a few minutes and then, I went into the portrait gallery where Michael had relocated. I walked up beside him and took his hand.

"I just saw Daddy," I told him. "He doesn't look well at all."

Michael nodded. "He looks awful. But I think I know who will make him feel better."

"Who?"

Michael grinned at me. "Your mama."

I gasped. "But Michael, I don't know how I brought Daddy back, let alone how to get Mama back too!"

Michael gazed into my eyes. "What did you tell Leota before your father came back?"

I looked back, uncertain. "I told her that I loved him."

Michael grinned. "Exactly!"

I could only guess what he was getting at.

"But Michael, Mama knows I love her."

Michael was still grinning.

"_You_ don't have to tell her anything. Like you said, she knows you love her, but there's someone else in this house who owes her a little reconfirmation and an apology."

I could feel myself grinning as his words sunk in.

"So I have to get Daddy to apologize to Mama for what he did and have him tell her that he loves her? But where is she?"

"The same place your father was and Grandma is: her picture."

I turned around to look at my mama's picture. I tried to look and see if I could see my Mama's eyes in the painted woman. I looked for a long time, until finally, I saw her eyes. I saw her looking at me, and I knew that what I had once thought was just a picture was much more then that. It was my mama, heart and soul.

I sighed.

"I better go get Daddy. And how is it that you know all this?"

Michael grinned. "Your grandmother told me. You know, you are so lucky to be related to someone like her."

"It seems like you two have become good friends."

He nodded.

"We have. Do you want me to come with you?"

I nodded, taking his hand.

"Yes, I think that would be nice. Oh, and I don't think Melanie's going to have any trouble bringing Jack back. I'm definitely in love with you."

And he said "That's wonderful Peach. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that."

As we left, I could swear I heard Grandma Mary say "You better be in love with him. I would be if I was forty years younger."

When we got back, my father was looking more despondent then before if that's even possible. I walked to him and looked him right in the eye.

"Daddy, do you miss Mama?"

He was having trouble meeting my eyes.

"Yes I miss your mother. I miss her a lot."

"If you could see her again, what would you say to her?"

Now, he was looking at me.

"I'd tell her that I was sorry for all the pain I caused her, and that I love her as much and more as I did twenty years ago."

I waited a few minutes, and then Daddy suddenly looked up at the sound of a light step in the doorway. When he saw her, he was surprised. He couldn't speak. And even though I thought I would be ready, I wasn't. When I finally looked up, I was crying too. And then she spoke in the sweet, lilting drawl I'd inherited.

"George? Chrissy-Lily? I'm here!"

A/n- there are more chapters to go then expected. Yay!

**Aquarian Wolf- Thanks bunches! You know I didn't plan for Mary to be so awesome. I originally wanted her to be more meddlesome and evil, but I guess Madame Leota didn't want to share the spotlight!**

**Melanie Gracey- Thanks! Here's the next chapter like requested, and I hope you like it. It's much longer then normal, but I really wanted Lillian to show up.**


	13. Lily Tells a Story

A/n- Sorry for the wait!

Daddy grabbed my hand and pulled me up with him as he ran over to meet my mother. When she saw him, she smiled and put a hand on his cheek to wipe away the tears that were falling.

"Lily, I'm so sorry for everything. I didn't mean for any of it to happen like it did, and I especially didn't mean to hurt you."

Mama shook her head and took hold of his hand. "Let's not dwell on that, George. The past hurts everyone, and I don't think any of us deserve to be in that kind of pain ever again."

Looking at the both of them, I felt my eyes begin to water. I blinked the tears away.

"Do you think you two will be all right by yourselves for awhile, you know, getting reacquainted and all that? I have to go back to Thunder Mesa. Michael and I still have some things we need to take care of."

Mama looked at me hard. "Chrissy-Lily, who's Michael?"

Daddy grinned at her. "You know him, Lily. Michael Allen-Park? He and Chrissy are a couple now."

Mama grinned at this. "Lord love a duck! I never thought I'd hear the name of Michael Allen-Park again after I left Tara!"

I was confused. "Mama, how do you know of him?"

"His ancestral mansion, Greeling Terrace, is right next door to Tara. Has he told anything at all about how he died?"

I shook my head.

Mama grinned. "Well, the town legend was that right before the start of the civil war, Michael and another man, Frank Malrooney, got into a dispute over some land.

"See, Frank was the town poker champ, and one evening, Michael's father put in the poker pot the deed to Greeling Terrace and all the land that went with it. Of course, Frank won the hand and claimed the deed. However, Mr. Allen-Park didn't tell his boys what he'd done, and when they tried to come home after a hunting trip, they were denied entry into their home. A few weeks after that poker game, Mr. Allen-Park got sick and died. That's when Michael decided to challenge Frank Malrooney for his house and his land. Michael thought it would be an easy win. After all, he was the best shot in all of the South, and Frank couldn't hit a tin can five feet in front of him.

"Finally, the day of the duel came. Michael and Frank met at dawn in the backyard of Greeling Terrace and got themselves into dueling positions. They each walked ten paces, turned, and fired. Michael got Frank, of course, he never missed a shot, but that duel had to be the first time that Frank had ever hit anything. He only wounded Michael, but in those days, medical care was next to nothing, and pretty soon, Michael's wound became infected and he died.

"Everyone in town came to the funeral, including Michael's brother Jack and his fiancée Melanie who were about to be married. They all prayed for the poor boy to rest in peace, but soon after they buried him, folks say they spotted two shadows in Greeling Terrace. Folks say that it's Michael and Frank still dueling away. But Michael will never win. Frank gave the deed to his son, and it has been passed down through generations of Malrooneys, each of them determined to keep the house and never surrender it to its rightful owner.

"And since Michael couldn't haunt his own house, he haunted Tara instead, dividing his time between there, and Jack's fiancée Melanie's house, Ravenswood Manor."

After Mama finished her tale, I could only gape. I would never have guessed that that was how Michael had died, of an infected wound. It made me feel sort of sorry for him.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and found Michael looking at me with sad eyes. I gasped. I'd forgotten that he was there. He looked at me, then at my mother.

"Thank you for telling her Lillian. I don't think I would've had the courage to."

"Michael, are you ashamed of the way you died? You don't need to be. Remember, you're dating a girl who got eaten by alligators at the circus."

Michael nodded, and Mama's eyes widened. "Chrissy-Lily, what are you saying?"

"Well, Mama, Madam Leota cursed me to die the same way you did."

Mama's eyes narrowed. "I'd like to have killed her!"

Sensing the uncomfortable tension in the room, Michael pulled me away, and out into the hall.

"We should probably go back to Melanie's house now. She's waiting in the car."

I nodded, and he led me out of the house to where Melanie was still waiting in the car. She looked up when she saw us and grinned.

"Everyone back?"

"Pretty much, yes."

Michael and I got into the front seats and we began to drive. Unlike when Scott had driven us, I talked this ride.

Finally, we arrived at Melanie's house, and stepped inside just in time to avoid a bad soaking from rain and lighting that had shown up. We stood in the gallery and waited.

Finally, lighting struck the ground outside and illuminated the dark room. And, in much the same way I'd found my father years before, I finally got a glimpse of Jack Allen-Park.

**Melanie Gracey- Mary will be coming back…and George Sr. too! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Aquarian Wolf- Thanks! George's animosity for Lettie has more place in the sequel then this story. And I don't think I'll be bringing back Emily…at least not right now.**


	14. Freeing Jack

I couldn't look away from Jack's body as it swung back and forth. I felt Michael's hand on my shoulder, squeezing almost too tight. As if he was trying to reassure me (or himself) that everything was going to be all right. Melanie was on my left side, and her gasping sobs echoed around the empty room. I reached for her hand and just held on tight. Then, I looked at Michael.

"What do you think we're supposed to do now?" he shrugged.

"Why don't you make yourselves comfortable?" Melanie had calmed down and found her voice. "The sooner we can prove to Jack that love can exist in this house the better." I saw a tiny tremor go through her body.

Michael nodded and took me to a chair, setting me down while he took the matching chair opposite it.

"Well," he declared, "I for one think we should get out of this room and go to some other part of the house. Perhaps the music room. A nice sing-along will cheer us all up."

Melanie nodded and stood up, preparing to lead the way. Michael and I rose with her, and followed her to the music room. Michael had his arms around me, and I allowed my head to rest on his shoulder. We walked through what seemed like miles and miles of rooms and doors. Nothing particularly interesting happened, except for a weird occurrence in what Melanie called "the secret room." Much like my family picture gallery at home, the secret room was full of pictures and here, all of them were of Melanie. Michael took care to point one out especially. It was a picture of Melanie and a dark-haired man with a moustache on a picnic. The man was playing a guitar while Melanie listened attentively.

"That's Jack," Michael said, stroking the part of the canvas on which his brother had been painted and looking up at the picture longingly.

I looked up at the picture as well. It was then that something struck me.

"Michael, I know you remember what my grandmother told you about where all my lost family members were hidden."

He nodded. "Yes. They were all in their pictures."

"Well, what if Jack is in _his_ picture? What if you're touching him right now?"

After I said that, Michael pulled his hand off the picture as if it had caught on fire. Then, he looked at me and smiled.

"What if you're right?"

And at that moment, I swear I saw the Jack in the picture nod.

I sighed. "But I think getting Jack back won't be as simple as it was with my relatives. If love was the answer here, Jack would have been out of his frame and with Melanie a long time ago."

Michael was looking meditative. "We need to talk to him."

"Him who?"

"Jack!"

Then he ran ahead of me to catch up to Melanie, who apparently hadn't realized that we weren't following her. I ran after him. When we were walking alongside her, Michael spoke.

"Melanie! Is Miss Mary still here? We need to be in contact with Jack!"

When Melanie looked at him, she had tears in her eyes.

"Michael Allen-Park, that's not funny!"

He shook his head. "No Melanie, I'm not kidding, this is serious! Christine thinks that Jack is trapped in his picture like her banished relatives were. She also thinks that it will take more then just knowledge of love to free him. So we need to talk to him and see what else we need to do."

Melanie nodded and rubbed her eyes. It looked like we wouldn't be having the sing-along after all. We were led to a séance room that looked very much like Leota's at home, only Miss Mary chanted some very different incantations.

When she looked up and saw Melanie, she smiled and asked how she was. I was more then a little surprised at the warm reception.

"Miss Mary, we would like to know if you could contact Jack's spirit and see if he can tell us any more about how to get him back on earth."

The medium nodded at Melanie. "Sit around the table, all of you, and we'll see if we cannot reach into the void and contact the elder Mr. Allen-Park."

We sat. Then, Miss Mary told us to hold hands as she called to all the spirits. Suddenly, Miss Mary's face disappeared from the crystal ball and was replaced by Jack's. Melanie smiled in triumph for a minute. Then, she looked worried as she addressed him.

"Jack, where are you? Do you know how you can get back?"

Jack spoke in an ashamed tone.

"I'm in my picture Melanie, and I'm being punished. I broke the rules of propriety by continuing our relationship after your father disapproved of our being together. I have to stay here until we get your father's approval to marry."

I could hear Michael snort softly under his breath. "That'll be tough to get."

Melanie frowned at him. "Michael, hush." Then, she turned to Jack. "Don't worry; my father isn't an unreasonable man. I'm sure we'll be able to nip this thing in the bud in no time."

Michael and I looked at each other. Melanie might sound optimistic, but we weren't so sure.

Then, Jack disappeared, and Miss Mary came back. "Good luck, all of you."

And with that, we all got up and left the séance room in search of Melanie's father Henry.

When we finally found him, it was in the Thunder Mesa saloon. It looked as if he had had a bit to drink and his gaze was unfocused as he took in our presence.

Melanie kneeled down in front of him. "Daddy, you need to come home and lie down."

Henry was red in the face as he looked at his daughter. He held a full glass of whisky and ice in one hand. At the sound of Melanie's voice, his head and body jerked violently, and he hiccupped, dropping the glass on the table where it shattered.

"No…no, I can't ever go home again. There are…bad things about, danger to everyone. I feel so guilty…so guilty…"

His speech was slurred, and he hiccupped between sentences. Finally, he fell forward, snoring. The three of us looked at each other and sighed. We wouldn't get anything more out of Henry Ravenswood today.

Nobody wanted to physically carry unconscious Henry home, so we called a buggy. When we finally got back, Mr. Ravenswood had gained consciousness enough to walk upstairs to his bedroom and collapse. After he left, we talked amongst ourselves.

"I think this is a good sign." Michael said, grinning. "Jack said your father wasn't really a drinking man when he was alive, and when he was muttering, it was about him feeling guilty and evil things about. He must be talking about the Phantom, and feeling guilty because he stopped your marriage to Jack!"

Melanie nodded. "Then, when we ask him in the morning, after he's sober, we should have no trouble getting Jack out."

Henry came downstairs the next day around noon. He mixed himself a concoction with many ingredients that he told us was an old family recipe for a hangover cure. After he felt better, we sat him down and talked.

"Daddy, what do you feel so guilty about?"

Henry looked Melanie deep in the eyes. "Melanie, Jack Allen-Park is a good man with a fine head on his shoulders. I'm only sorry it took me so long to see it. Miss Mary showed me what that son of the Phantom tried to do to that young lady over there," he gestured at me, "and would have done to you too if Michael hadn't stopped him." Henry then grinned at Michael.

Melanie, realizing that her father and I had not officially met, said "Daddy, this is Christine. Her family used to come stay at the house during the hotel days."

Henry stood up and gave me a small bow. "A pleasure."

I smiled. "Charmed, I'm sure."

Then, Michael said "Mr. Ravenswood, would you please come with us to the secret room?" he nodded, and we went.

Once there, Michael led us to the picture of Melanie and Jack. Then, he said "do you consent, Mr. Ravenswood, to the marriage of your daughter Melanie to my brother, Jack Allen-Park?" Then, Michael motioned for Melanie to come stand beside the Jack in the picture.

Then, Mr. Ravenswood, undoubtedly knowing what he was going to do, looked at the picture and said "I do."

The next moment, there was a blinding flash of white light, and the part of the picture with Jack in it ripped free of the rest of the frame. Then, the Jack-shaped canvas walked over to Melanie and she kissed it. Then, what had once been canvas became flesh, and Jack and Melanie embraced. Then, Jack pulled a ring out of his pocket and kneeled down.

"Melanie Ravenswood, I know I've asked you this before, but I'm asking again. Will you marry me?"

Melanie was crying. "Yes, Jack I will!"

Then, Henry came over to them. "Do you two promise to come back and vist once in awhile?"

Melanie looked at her father. "Of course we will."

Henry smiled. "Just making sure."

As Michael and I watched them, we embraced too. It looked like the two of us were going to be party to a wedding. And soon.


	15. The Wedding

We left Ravenswood Manor the following day. All four of us. Jack and Melanie talked about wedding preparations the whole ride, but Michael and I didn't mind; we were just glad they were finally back together after so long.

"Jack, I don't know what I want to do anymore," Melanie complained. "What we were going to do before seems so old-fashioned. Times have changed and I want something more modern."

I spoke up from the backseat. "You could ask my Aunt Vickie. She's the big party planner at home, and she could make up something so memorable you wouldn't believe it. And, she's natively French, so if you wanted that kind of flavor, she could go that way too."

Melanie twisted around and smiled at me. "I think that's wonderful. I'll talk to her the second we get to your house."

And when we got home, she did just that. Melanie and Aunt Vickie bonded right away and spent days making preparations. They decided that the wedding would be in the town square of Thunder Mesa, but we would have the reception at her house. In between their meetings, Melanie got a taste of some of Gracey Manor's flavor. Aunt Vickie threw her and Jack a pre-wedding party in the cemetery, and our bands, vocal as well as instrumental, performed.

"Jack, I think the Mallow Men should perform at our reception. They are very talented, and Christine's father seems to hold them in very high regard."

Jack nodded, smiling. This was the first wedding plan they both agreed on. I was at the party, but too busy doing damage control for various mansion residents to enjoy it much. This time, it was the Jones Family, a group of very talented opera singers that my father had hired when I was young to help cure my mother's depression.

"But Miss Christine, how can you play that _noise_ at a party when everyone knows that opera, not jazz, is a true form of music?"

I sighed. We had been having this conversation for hours. "Look Giovanni," I said to the man who had been giving me the most trouble, "I see where you're coming from; it's just that this is a casual affair, and opera is more a black-tie kind of music. It's of a higher class then jazz and meant for fancy parties and champagne in flutes."

He smiled and nodded. I had just made that up on the spot. The real truth was that Daddy hadn't wanted them to perform at this party. He said that opera gave him migraines, and unless they made their tunes easier to dance to, they'd keep performing for themselves.

And, of course, there was also the ever-present problem of Lettie's husband. I'd come to get him for the party a few hours before and found Lettie in the room trying to do the same thing.

"Jamie, come on," she urged. "Come with Christy and me to the party. It will be fun."

The lid to the coffin went up and down once to indicate that Jamie wasn't going anywhere.

"I can't go," he confirmed. "It's almost time for the sun to come up, and you know what that means for vampires."

She sighed and turned to face me. "Christy, what am I going to do? He's driving me crazy."

"I know," I told her. "You can go see Dr. Bright. He was my doctor during the years I was in therapy, and he works wonders." Then, something occurred to me. Dr. Bright only saw patients one day a week now that he was dead. He saw them on Tuesdays, and the next Tuesday was Jack and Melanie's wedding where Lettie was supposed to be the flower girl. And we'd already ordered her dress. But this was urgent, and I'd think of something. I left the room and made Jamie an appointment. Then, I went to the boundaries of the mansion where hardly anyone went. Cousin Gus was there.

"Gus, I need to ask you a favor. Remember how you wanted to go to Jack and Melanie's wedding but Daddy wouldn't let you? Well, you can go now."

He rubbed his hands together. "I'm listening."

"I need you to put on Lettie's dress and be the flower guy."

His eyes popped open. That obviously wasn't what he'd expected me to say.

"Why me?"

"Because Lettie and Jamie have to make an urgent visit to my therapist on the day of the wedding, and you're the only one small enough to fit in her dress."

He nodded again. "All right, I'll do it. It'll be just like that one time in Las Vegas. But Ezra and Phineas get to come too."

I nodded. It seemed only fair. Then, I went back to the party where Michael and Aunt Vickie were talking.

"And Michael, you only need to do one thing for this wedding: Call the town minister on the phone, okay?"

Michael nodded. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

The days went by and before I knew it, it was the day of the wedding. I woke up late and called for Prudence who brought my dress in. I looked at it and gasped at its size. I wondered how Prudence had fit it through the door. It was an off-the-shoulder peach silk gown with a ruffled skirt. And hoops and a corset. Melanie had forgotten to mention that part. It took a good part of two hours to get on everything and the dress and another two hours to do my hair, but by the time Prudence was finished, I had to admit that I looked beautiful. 

"You look lovely, Miss Christine."

"Thank you Prudence."

"Yes she does. As lovely as a blooming rose." Michael was standing at the door with one hand braced against the doorframe. I blushed.

"Is it time to go now?"

Michael nodded. "Yes." He held out an arm to me and I took it. Then, he led me out to the car where Mama and Daddy were waiting. Daddy gasped slightly when he saw me.

"Chrissy, you look wonderful."

"Thank you Daddy."

Then, we began to drive, and got to Thunder Mesa much quicker then usual. It seemed like everyone in town had been invited, but there was one person I didn't see.

"Michael," I whispered, "did you call the minister like Aunt Vickie asked you to?"

His eyes dropped. "Peach, I barely know how to use a phone."

I rolled my eyes and tried to stay calm. "So you're telling me that we have a whole town full of people here for a wedding, and there's no minister to marry the happy couple because you don't know how to use a phone? Why didn't you say something!"

But corsets leave no room for anger and pretty soon, all I saw was black. I passed out.

* * *

I woke up a little while later with water in my eyes and Michael and Gus standing over me looking worried. I sat up. 

"A minister!" I said. "We need a minister!"

Michael and Gus looked at each other and then at me. Michael spoke first.

"Peach, why is Gus wearing Lettie's flower girl dress?"

"Because Lettie took Jamie to therapy and I was the only other person small enough to fit into it." Gus informed him. I looked at Gus, taking him in and couldn't help smiling. He looked funny, especially since he hadn't shaved before they'd put the dress on him.

"Now," Gus continued, "what's this about needing a minister?"

"Michael forgot to call one, and so now we're kind of minister-less."

Gus looked at me. "I can do it."

Michael and I looked at him.

"What!"

"I'm serious, Christine. Remember what I told you about Las Vegas? Well, at the time, I had a girlfriend, and we went to one of those wedding chapels on the Strip, but they wouldn't marry us because I was a felon so the next day, I shaved off my beard and pretended to be the chapel flower girl. And when I got close enough to the minister, I shrank him down to Gus size, bashed his head in, and took his license."

I shuddered. "No wonder you don't want to leave here."

Then, I looked at Michael. He was flashing me 'no' signals with his eyes. But Gus was all we had at this point.

"All right Gus," I said, "You're on."

* * *

Despite everything, it really was a beautiful wedding. Gus was a wonderful flower guy, and if Jack and Melanie were surprised at that, or the fact that he married them as well, they kept it to themselves. Henry walked Melanie down the aisle, and he brought her mother to the wedding with him. The Ravenswoods, it seemed, were reconciled. There was only a slight interruption when the Phantom showed up, but Henry banished him forever. I sang Jack and Melanie's wedding song "Unchained Melody" at the reception and, thanks to Jack's urging, Michael and I got our first dance as a couple. And still one more surprise happened before the wedding was over. 

During the dancing, I spotted my grandmother sitting alone at a table looking sad and wistful. I went over to her and asked her what was wrong.

"Couples' dances always make me miss your grandfather," she told me. "He knew how to dance if not much else."

Just then, I heard a voice behind her, and a tall man stepped out of the shadows and held out his hand so she could take it."

"May I have this dance?"

Grandma smiled. "Yes, but before we go, this is your son's daughter Christine. George, you're a grandfather."

Finally, after all the guests left, Dad motioned to Michael and me. It seemed like he and my mother wanted to talk to us.

"Chrissy," he said, "you deserve a vacation. How long has it been since you've seen Granny and Granddaddy?"

"A long time," I admitted.

"And I'm sure Michael wants to see Georgia again," Mama added.

Michael nodded. "I do."

"Well, you should probably leave now," Mama said. "Your grandparents are throwing a party in your honor, and they'll just _die_ if you're late."

"Ha ha." I said. "Daddy, if I go, do you promise you won't do anything strange or unusual to the house while I'm gone?"

He nodded. "I promise."

Michael took my hand and started to lead me to the car. Then, thunder and lightning flashed and it began to rain.

"Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention Chrissy," Daddy said, sounding paternal, "Beware of hitchhiking ghosts. You never know who they were in life."

I smiled. "Okay Daddy, we will."

Then, we got in the car, and just before we drove away, I looked at my house just as lightning flashed above it. I thought I felt a chill in my heart, but then I convinced myself that it was just my imagination.


	16. Preview Christine 2 Prologue

And now, a preview of the continuation of Christine's story, _A Disquieting Metamorphosis._

George William Gracey looked around the mansion in satisfaction. It was October 1, 1971, and it was going to be a great day. He was glad he had sold the house to the Disney company. Chrissy was going to love it just like she had when she was a little girl. The Gracey Mansion, now known as the Haunted Mansion, was one of the highlights of the Magic Kingdom Liberty Square. George loved his job. He was the mansion "Ghost Host," and he set up the entire ride. Everyone in the mansion had gotten parts and visitors even got to see Chrissy's picture, although Leota had bewitched it to make it a bit more frightening. Everyone was happy except for one person: George's mother Mary.

"I really don't think you should have done this. Chrissy-Lily wants a quiet afterlife and she will not appreciate being put on show, George."

He shrugged off her warning. "Chrissy ran off to the circus when she was thirteen. If she didn't like performing, she wouldn't have done that." Then, he looked out the window. Guests were lining up. It was almost time to open. George left his mother and took place at his post. It was showtime.


End file.
